


Organized

by chronicAngel



Series: Leaves in the Summer [36]
Category: Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, Naruto
Genre: Children, F/M, Genetic Engineering, Otogakure - Freeform, POV Third Person, Post-Fourth Shinobi War, The Legendary Sannin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-12
Updated: 2018-01-12
Packaged: 2019-03-03 19:32:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,164
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13348020
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chronicAngel/pseuds/chronicAngel
Summary: "Karin, this is Tsunade. You will address her only as Tsunade-sama, and treat her with the same amount of respect and authority with which you would treat me."





	Organized

Otogakure is a lot more organized than she originally pictured.

Of course, it was childish of her to think that just because she had once considered the place so inherently evil, it would be a jumbled and chaotic mess, but it's much less like a hideout and much more like a village that just happens to be in a man-made cave, or a village whose prison is visible to the public eye. There are people here who are clearly miserable, but there are also people here who look at Orochimaru with shining eyes, as though he is their hero. She thinks back to the stories she's heard about Karin from Sasuke, what little he was able or willing to share, and she wonders how many of these people he did save.

"Ah, Tsunade, so good to see you."

His voice carries differently here, as though he occupies the entire space, fills the very molecules in its air, and the effect has her shuddering for reasons she isn't quite sure of. The white-haired man who stands at her side that guided her through the hideout's winding passages bows to Orochimaru, though she senses it's more of a sarcastic gesture than a genuine formality, to which the Sannin dismisses him with a wave of the hand and pulls himself to stand.

"Welcome to Otogakure. You'll understand if I skip the tour in favor of taking you to Karin," he says, not really a question, but she nods in affirmation anyway. "Excellent."

There's a point that they silently agree not to bring up while winding through the many passages of the hideout that she has to grab the back of his kimono which, she notes, is in iris purple. She wonders if he remembers, or if it's a funny coincidence. As though sensing her thoughts, but being as ambiguous as he ever was, he looks over his shoulder at her and smiles. She hates that it still makes her heart flutter, just a bit.

She refuses to fall for Orochimaru again. She refuses to fall for him because he knows how sick he is, and she refuses to fall for him because she refuses to let her heart get broken again, no matter how many failsafes he has in place for that sort of situation.

Eventually, they stop in front of a large lab. There are three clean, metal tables evenly spaced out, covered in papers and manila folders and hastily scribbled notes in handwriting that she knows from years of experience is not Orochimaru's. There's a sickening noise toward the back of the lab, the softest and most inhuman screams, pounding against large metallic doors, scraping of what she can only assume is claws against the very same. She doesn't want to consider what sorts of horrifying experiments are behind those doors. A red-haired girl steps dutifully toward the door as though she has been called, and Tsunade wonders if she hasn't been while she has been looking around the lab from the entryway.

"Karin," Orochimaru addresses coolly, gesturing for her to move so the two Sannin may step inside of the lab. It's larger than Tsunade would have expected and surprisingly cold when compared to the rest of Otogakure, which she supposes was much warmer than she expected. The air has the sterile smell of a hospital, and Tsunade finds it oddly comforting as she looks around the area, more pristine than it feels like it should be. It's almost eerie, like this is the phantom of a lab. "Karin, this is Tsunade. You will address her only as Tsunade-sama, and treat her with the same amount of respect and authority with which you would treat me." Karin nods, bowing the respectful amount without dipping any further than she has to. Orochimaru disregards this, once more addressing his fingernails.

Though she is tempted to look around at the equipment that Orochimaru has managed to secure for himself, Tsunade forces her curiosity down and settles onto one of the metal tables, swinging her legs while Karin and Orochimaru discuss notes. When the Uzumaki approaches her, she wears a smile that Tsunade is sure is fake, and the white-haired and violet-eyed man from earlier who now stands in the doorway confirms as much for her. "Cut the shit, Karin, you're not fooling anyone."

"We've discussed this, Suigetsu," she says through gritted teeth. "The lab is only for intelligent people."

"Then what are you doing in here?" He retorts immediately, and Karin looks like she is already going to snap.

"Children, do try to control yourselves in front of the company." Orochimaru calls from where he now sits at another one of the metal tables, looking over a folder labeled "Shin" that's overflowing with papers. She decides the less that she asks about his side projects, the better. Obediently, Karin says "Yes, my lord" and turns back to Tsunade, checking her vitals without another formality or false smile. As though just to antagonize the girl, Suigetsu enters the lab and hovers nearby while she jots down notes, and Tsunade can see the way it drives her insane. She can sympathize, her mind drifting to certain annoyances in the lab when she was younger. _Not to speak ill of the dead..._

She doesn't even flinch when Karin takes a large sample of her blood and puts it in a vial to the side of her workspace. She does hiss through her teeth when she cuts a small sample of flesh from her arm, but stays still until Karin is done and she can heal herself.

"Spit," she orders. Throwing a tentative glance toward Orochimaru, she adds, "Please, Tsunade-sama." She spits into the provided cup and looks around the room, where Orochimaru has abandoned his reading to watch them in fascination while Suigetsu has looked the other way with a pained expression.

"Any more required bodily fluids or DNA samples?" When her impromptu nurse shakes her head, she stands, holding her now-glowing green hand to her arm and approaching Orochimaru. She gives a cursory glance over the scrolls, books, and loose papers that are scattered over the surface before looking at him. "What are you doing?"

He glances up at her, looking more amused than bothered. "Still nosy, I see." He continues to look at her for a minute, closing the "Shin" folder and dragging over another scroll. "Nosy as always, but perhaps you can help." She doesn't need him to gesture over the scroll to start reading over it, but he gestures anyway, and all she does is brush his hand away like she might dismiss a fly. She reads over it twice, realizing that it's a calculation for some pain medication, and she snorts as she pushes it away from her again with the rest of the clutter on the table.

"You pulled a total Jiraiya." Pointing at one line, she gestures with her other hand for him to look closer. "That's an NSAID. You need a steroid."


End file.
